Enlightenment for Idiots

Anne Cushman

One reviewer compared this title to a hybrid of Eat, Pray and Love and Sex in the City.

This is a truly funny novel—filled with thinly disguised, easily recognizable gurus and eastern spirituality inside jokes.

More than that, the writing is also very good. So, while it is very funny, it also is very tender. It is an insightful book on human relationships as well as a true and vivid portrayal of modern day India.

The story concerns an accidental travel writer (a woman who wants to find the perfect soul mate…but is always attracted to the free spirits who are here today and gone tomorrow), sent to India to write a guide on Enlightenment as part of the Idiots’ series. The editor is in a bit of a hurry to get this project done. She feels that the readers' desire for such a book will wane quickly when the new hot thing takes its place in the marketplace.

In India she meets a myriad of interesting characters. There is a Hatha Yoga master known to his pupils as “Sir”, a bipolar spiritual seeker who always refers to himself as “we”, and a spiritual guru who insists on celibacy but who personally is carrying on an affair.

She travels from Rishikesh to Varanasi in search of the enlightenment that can be written about in the condensed version of a how-to manual.

The book is a true summer read, but not in a trite way. Anne Cushman’s writing style pulls you into the story. It is a book that you just want to keep reading.

If you enjoyed Eat, Pray and Love or Holy Cow you will definitely want to read this one, as it has the same novel feel to it. I guarantee you will enjoy this one.

Enjoy the ocean waves or tranquil lake front with Anne Cushman’s charming book.

Review by Tony Kainauskas